Jared Bernhardt Returns to Lacrosse, Signs with PLL's Denver Outlaws

Jared Bernhardt is back in the game.

After a brief stint in professional football, Bernhardt, the 2021 Tewaaraton Award winner at Maryland, has signed a two-year contract with the Premier Lacrosse League's Denver Outlaws. They reached a deal Monday, as first reported by USA Lacrosse Magazine contributor Dan Arestia and ESPN’s Field Yates. The league confirmed the signing Tuesday. 

The Terps’ all-time leader in points (290) and goals (202), Bernhardt returned to his family’s football roots after graduating. He played quarterback at Division II Ferris State University. There, he led the Bulldogs to an undefeated season and a national championship in 2021.

Bernhardt’s athletic versatility caught the attention of the NFL's Atlanta Falcons, with whom he signed as an undrafted free agent as a wide receiver in 2022. After spending the season with the Falcons, Bernhardt transitioned to the Canadian Football League, joining the BC Lions' practice roster in 2024.

Bernhardt’s late father, Jim, was a football lifer who was on the coaching staff at Penn State and with the Houston Texans. His three sons all starred in lacrosse at Maryland and with U.S. National Teams.

Jake Bernhardt played for the gold medal-winning 2018 U.S. team and plays professionally with the PLL’s Maryland Whipsnakes as a captain and short-stick defensive midfielder. He’s the head coach at Division III Colby.

Jesse Bernhardt is a three-time U.S. team defenseman and 2023 captain who will reunited with his younger brother as the veteran anchor of the Outlaws’ close defense. He’s regarded as one of the game’s best defensive coordinators as the top assistant at Maryland.

Now, Jared Bernhardt returns to the sport that first brought him fame when he was the MVP for the U.S. U19 team in the 2016 world championship.

Denver has under contract every Tewaaraton Award winner from 2021-24 in Bernhardt, Logan Wisnauskas (2022), Brennan O’Neill (2023) and Pat Kavanagh (2024). The latter three all started at attack for the Outlaws in last Friday’s season-opening loss to the California Redwoods.